A Temecula man suspected of intentionally starting the massive Cranston fire and eight other smaller blazes pleaded not guilty Friday after being charged with more than a dozen felonies.

Brandon N. McGlover, 32, is facing 15 felony counts – one count of aggravated arson, five counts of arson of an inhabited structure and nine counts of arson of forest or wildland – the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said.

Aggravated arson can be charged when five or more structures burn. So far, authorities have said that five homes have been damaged in the Cranston fire near Idyllwild. Along with the Cranston fire, McGlover is also accused of starting fires in the Idyllwild, Anza and Sage areas.

Brandon N. McGlover, 32, listens during his arraignment on 15 felony counts of arson including the Cranston fire at Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, July 27, 2018. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Brandon N. McGlover, 32, talks with his attorney Joseph Camarata during his arraignment on 15 felony counts of arson including the Cranston fire at Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, July 27, 2018. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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Brandon N. McGlover, 32, listens during his arraignment on 15 felony counts of arson including the Cranston fire at Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, July 27, 2018. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Attorney Joseph Camarata speaks for Brandon N. McGlover, 32, as he listens during his arraignment on 15 felony counts of arson including the Cranston fire at Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, July 27, 2018. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Brandon N. McGlover, 32, is lead away after his arraignment on 15 felony counts of arson including the Cranston fire at Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, July 27, 2018. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

In a hearing in Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta that barely lasted three minutes, McGlover’s attorney entered pleas of not guilty on McGlover’s behalf to all of the charges. Bail was set at $3.5 million, an increase from the $1 million he was being held on before the hearing.

McGlover sat shackled in an enclosed area with large windows on one side of the courtroom. While most male inmates wear orange jumpsuits, McGlover wore red. That means his case is “high profile,” Riverside County sheriff’s spokeswoman Deputy Robyn Flores said.

A man and a woman believed to be relatives or supporters of McGlover sat in a back corner of the second-floor courtroom during the hearing and spoke with his attorney, Joseph Camarata, afterward. They declined to comment to the media as they walked out with Camarata, a partner in Temecula-based Camarata and Marren.

“On behalf of Brandon and his family, our thoughts and prayers are with those that are fighting these fires and the families that have been affected by them,” Camarata said later to the media. “Our hope is that if these were intentionally set, that the person who set them is found so he can’t do it again.”

Prosecutors have not commented on a suspected motive for the alleged arson, or specified exactly how the fires are believed to have been ignited.

John Hall, a spokesman of the DA’s Office, said new charges could be added if there is more property damage or if injuries related to the fires merit prosecution. Three firefighters have suffered minor injuries, one heat-related.

If convicted as currently charged, McGlover faces up to life in prison. He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 24.

Officials with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said they would like to see animal-cruelty charges added.

“Anyone who deliberately sets fires is signing a death warrant for wild animals, who often have no chance of escape,” Vice President Colleen O’Brien wrote in an email. “In addition to the human families who lost their homes, millions of wild animals, including mammals and birds, surely lost their homes and even their lives in the wildfires that this man apparently set.”

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Police arrested McGlover about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Newport Road and State Street, south of Hemet. Witnesses told authorities that they saw him starting multiple fires, with one person following McGlover and providing police with a description of his car, a white Honda.

Brian Rokos writes about public safety issues such as policing, criminal justice, scams, how law affects public safety, firefighting tactics and wildland fire danger. He has also covered the cities of San Bernardino, Corona, Norco, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Canyon Lake and Hemet. Before that he supervised reporters and worked as a copy editor. For some reason, he enjoys movies where the Earth is threatened with extinction.

Sean Emery is a crime and public safety reporter for the Register who covers state and federal courts and criminal justice issues. He has worked for the Register since 2006, previously covering breaking news, the city of Irvine, the Orange County Great Park, and the city of San Juan Capistrano.